This invention relates to a hand held device for lubricating muzzle-loading bullets and a method for storage and loading the lubricated bullets.
In particular, this invention is directed to muzzle-loading firearms and, in particular, to those bullets designed for use in muzzle-loading rifles. In order to utilize the rifling in the barrel, the front end of the bullet is of a diameter such that when the bullet is forced into the muzzle, this front ring portion of the bullet is scored and the bullet follows the rifling down the barrel as it is forced to the powder charge. When the powder is discharged, the bullet follows the rifling imparting the highly desirable rotation necessary for high accuracy fire. A common construction for many muzzle-loading bullets have a front ring with a larger diameter than the rear of the bullet which generally includes two or more additional rings of lesser diameter. Some of the bullets have a front ring with a reduced diameter immediately to the rear after which the diameter of the bullet increases until the rear of the bullet is almost the diameter of the front ring. For the purpose of this invention this shape and all shapes that form grooves are considered to have at least two rings even though they are widely separated. This shape forms a groove and all the varied shapes form one or more grooves along the length of the bullet. These grooves are designed to receive the lubricant necessary to ease loading and firing the rifle. The difference between the diameter of the front ring and the diameters of the rear rings usually ranges from about three thousandths of an inch. A lubricator-loader for firearms is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,254,572 to Henry R. Nelson. An additional device for greasing muzzle-loading bullets is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,108,044 to Richard Brown. An apparatus for lubricating and sizing slugs is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,967,526 to Robert A. Leich. An older device and method for sizing and lubricating bullets is described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,403,032 to William G. Stevens, Jr.
The present invention of the lubricating device and the method of lubrication handling and loading of the bullet, allows the lubrication of the bullets in a fashion that does not damage the bullets, but yet allows the grooves to be filled with lubricant without getting lubricant on the rear of the bullet where the powder may be affected.
Difficulties with prior lubrication systems and devices include that the hand-held devices get grease on the hands, are difficult to handle in the field and do not provide for prior lubrication and storage before firing.
It is an object of this invention to provide a lubricating device that lubricates the grooves but does not get lubricant on the rear end of the bullet which tends to contaminate the powder charge.
It is also an object of this invention to provide a lubricating device capable of handling the proper lubricant most desirable for lubricating the muzzle-loading bullets.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a lubricating device that avoids marking the front ring of the bullet in any way, or damaging the rings of the bullet, which allows powder leaking and loss of accuracy during discharge.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a lubricating device that will grease all rings of the bullet at the same time and it is not necessary to be taken apart each time the lubricator is used.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a method of storage of greased bullets prior to use, thus mostly avoiding greasing in the field.
It is an additional object of this invention to protect the greased bullets, keeping them clean and free of abrasive contamination prior to firing.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a lubricating device that may be used in the field and reduces the possibility of getting grease on the hands during the lubricating process.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a lubricating device which allows the muzzle-loading bullet to seat in the device and essentially prevent leakage, when held by the hand.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a method of transfer, holding and loading of the bullet from the lubricating device to the muzzle of the rifle, wherein at each step there is little possibility of getting grease on the hands or on the rifle.
None of the devices described above satisfy these objects and the needs for this device and method. The following device and method satisifies these objects as follows.